The present invention relates to a two component dental bleaching system and method for bleaching human dentition. More particularly, the invention relates to tooth whitening material formed from a powder component and a liquid component, that sets to an elastomeric-like, semi-solid texture that also exhibits a fluid-like characteristic for placement into or onto a mouthpiece or other delivery medium for delivery to dentition or directly to dentition.
This invention relates in general to teeth whitening materials used by a dental practitioner to whiten human teeth. For a variety of reasons it has become desirable for a person""s teeth to appear bright or xe2x80x9cwhitexe2x80x9d. Society places a high value on the xe2x80x9cwhitenessxe2x80x9d of one""s teeth.
A tooth is comprised of an inner dentin layer and an outer hard enamel layer that is the protective layer of the tooth. The enamel layer of a tooth is naturally an opaque white or slightly off-white color. It is this enamel layer that can become stained or discolored.
Many substances that a person confronts or comes in contact with on a daily basis can xe2x80x9cstainxe2x80x9d or reduce the xe2x80x9cwhitenessxe2x80x9d of one""s teeth. In particular, the foods, tobacco products and fluids that one consumes tend to stain one""s teeth. These products or substances tend to accumulate on the enamel layer of the tooth and form a pellicle film over the teeth. These staining and discoloring substances can then permeate the enamel layer. This problem occurs gradually over many years, but imparts a noticeable discoloration of the enamel of one""s teeth. Some pharmaceuticals, diseases and environmental factors may also have the effect of discoloring one""s teeth. So long as the discolored teeth are still healthy and do not pose any health risk or problem, a product or substance that would whiten the discolored teeth would be advantageous.
It is known in the art to provide compositions containing hydrogen peroxide and to contact a patient""s teeth with the composition. Prolonged contact will bleach and whiten stained teeth. Because many known peroxide compositions are viscous or even liquid, it has been a common practice to provide a dental tray molded to the patient""s dentition to hold the bleaching material in place for sufficient time to effect bleaching. Without the tray, the bleaching material either flows away on its own or is degraded and removed by saliva.
Whitening compositions may be thought of as being of two types: in-office materials and take-home materials. Dental professionals may carry out the in-office treatment, while the take-home materials are designed to be administered by the patients themselves. As can be expected, the in-office treatments can be carried out using bleaching compositions having higher peroxide concentrations as compared to take-home materials. This is for the obvious safety reasons.
The dental bleaching systems heretofore known in the art have been effective in whitening teeth. However, there has been to date the requirement that the dental tray employed be closely configured to the dentition. Otherwise, the saliva effects noted above are compounded. An exemplary tooth whitening material employing a dental tray is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,196, which is hereby incorporated by reference. It would be desirable however, to have a dental material that was not as dependent upon the use of a dental tray, or which in certain cases, not require a dental tray at all. A need exists therefore, for such an improved tooth whitening material.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a tooth whitening composition.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a material that sets to at least a semi-solid and/or elastomeric texture.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method of whitening teeth.
These and other objects of the invention, which will be come apparent from the present disclosure, are carried out by the invention as herein described.
In general, a tooth whitening material comprises a solid or powder component and a liquid component. When mixed, the resulting composition will set to an elastomeric quality within about 1 to about 5 minutes. Exemplary powder components include mixed sodium/calcium salts of poly(methyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride) and titanium dioxide. Liquid components include hydrogen peroxide in an amount of from about 30 to about 35 percent by weight, and water.
A method of bleaching teeth according to the invention includes preparing a mixture of a powder component and a liquid component. When mixed, the resulting composition will set to an elastomeric quality within about 1 to about 5 seconds. Exemplary powder components include mixed sodium/calcium salts of poly(methyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride) and titanium dioxide. Liquid components include hydrogen peroxide in an amount of from about 30 to about 35 percent by weight, and water. This method may include placing the mixture into a dental tray and placing the tray onto the human dentition. The method may further include removing the tray after a period of time and after the mixture has set to an elastomeric texture, leaving the set mixture in place upon the human dentition.
Another method according to the present invention includes applying such a mixture to a tooth without the use of a dental tray.